To: Gail J. McGovern, CEO American Red Cross and Jeffrey W. Chell, M.D. CEO National Marrow Donor Program
Your Stem Cells Can Save A Life
Making information and cheek swab kits available for potential stem cell donors at blood drives would greatly increase the number of donors available and thereby increase the survival rate for patients with blood cancer and other serious illnesses.
Why is this important?
In August, it will be a year since my stem cell transplant. I was one of the lucky ones. My sister was a perfect match (see “Lifesaving Procedure With an Image Problem”, New York Times, Science, April 22,2014, p.D7, see link below)
But for many of the 12,000 patients diagnosed in the U.S. each year with blood cancers, only about 30% of those needing a transplant will have a matching donor in their family. The other 70% will depend on the National Marrow Donor Program (BetheMatch.org) to identify a matching donor. The likelihood of such a find ranges from 66% to 93%, with minority groups seriously underrepresented.
Getting the word out to potential donors about this relatively simple, but life saving procedure is a difficult and costly process.
Our idea is to link transplant donation to blood donation. We know that donating blood at one’s place of work or through community blood drives is a well known and accepted activity. We suggest that at the conclusion of the blood donation, individuals be presented with information about being a transplant donor. Cheek swab kits (used to determine matches) can be available for interested parties and completed kits can be immediately forwarded to the National Marrow Donor Program.
*New York Times article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/21/lifesaving-procedure-with-an-image-problem/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
But for many of the 12,000 patients diagnosed in the U.S. each year with blood cancers, only about 30% of those needing a transplant will have a matching donor in their family. The other 70% will depend on the National Marrow Donor Program (BetheMatch.org) to identify a matching donor. The likelihood of such a find ranges from 66% to 93%, with minority groups seriously underrepresented.
Getting the word out to potential donors about this relatively simple, but life saving procedure is a difficult and costly process.
Our idea is to link transplant donation to blood donation. We know that donating blood at one’s place of work or through community blood drives is a well known and accepted activity. We suggest that at the conclusion of the blood donation, individuals be presented with information about being a transplant donor. Cheek swab kits (used to determine matches) can be available for interested parties and completed kits can be immediately forwarded to the National Marrow Donor Program.
*New York Times article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/21/lifesaving-procedure-with-an-image-problem/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0